Walter Williams makes the case that the FDA’s incentives cause it to be too cautious about approving new drugs. In support of this proposition, he provides a quote from former FDA Commissioner Alexander Schmidt:
In all our FDA history, we are unable to find a single instance where a Congressional committee investigated the failure of FDA to approve a new drug. But the times when hearings have been held to criticize our approval of a new drug have been so frequent that we have not been able to count them. The message to FDA staff could not be clearer.
And that message is “err on the side of caution.” But, for Williams, that isn’t necessarily a good thing. He puts it this way:
My question to FDA officials is: Should a drug be disapproved whenever it poses a health risk to some people but a benefit to others? To do so would eliminate most drugs, including aspirin, because all drugs pose a health risk to some people.
Williams, as usual, makes a lot of sense. On the other hand, as a consumer, I have to confess to supporting a little caution on the part of the FDA where pharmaceuticals are concerned.
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